Honda Accord 2.0 Touring test drive

By Vince Burlapp • Published: May 5, 2018 • Last updated: 2:28 AM

The new Honda Accord is a very good looking car and quite impressive in real life.
It has a road presence most cars in its class just don’t have.
With a fastback/coupe shape, it looks very modern, yet luxurious and expensive.

It is a new take on the classic sedan. Now that more and more people are getting into SUVs, the mid size sedan needs to find another personality.
The new Accord does. It is a sleek, sportier alternative to the SUV. ( still with a huge amount of passenger room)
Just like the 2 door coupe used to be a sleeker alternative to the sedan.

The full LED lights look great and quite futuristic. And the wheels on my Touring model looked fantastic. One of the best looking wheel design I have seen in a long time.

Inside, everything is also very modern yet luxurious.
The front seats are very comfortable. The sunroof is very usable since it is positioned forward enough.
Visibility is fine from every angle.

The rear seat is one of the roomiest I have ever seen on a mid-size car. There is almost as much room as in a Chevrolet Impala. A much larger car.
And the leather in the Touting model is just sumptuous.

As expected, the truck is very large and flat. The pass-through opening is also quite large and useful.

The first thing I noticed when sitting in the Accord was the thick steering wheel.
It gives a great sporty feel right away. And so does the rather low sitting position and wide console, which is great.

I was quite amazed how easy everything was to figure out. The touch screen, dials, menus and various functions were all very intuitive.
It all seems like you have been there before. You feel at home immediately.
Everything feels like it was engineered and designed by people who are actually using cars. Not robots or bean counters.
It all makes sense…

Same thing for the electronic shifter. I tend to dislike these. Especially the kind you find in BMWs.
But the Honda one is a great design. Again, very intuitive. You get it right away and never ever get confused.
Just like it is supposed to be. Again, a very “human” design.

Everything inside feels great and very solid. Everything is where it is supposed to be.

There is nothing shiny here. The wood trim has a classy matte finish and the satin metal trim looks great too.

Something you also notice from inside is the hood of the car.
Which is very visible thanks to how sculpted it is on its sides. A very nice design that I like very much. I love seeing some of the hood in front of me when I drive. (This is the opposite of the Passat where the hood just disappears ) It also gives a sense of substance to the car.

There are also many small interesting touches inside. Like the AC dials that change from red to blue as you adjust the temperature.

Honda’s “Walk away Auto Lock” feature is also great. (Something every car should have).

Or the “Near field Communication” logo on the dash for Android phones (allowing instant Android phone pairing by just taping on the logo with the back of your phone)

Honda’s 2.0 Liter engine might be the smoothest and most refined of its kind.
The Regal’s 2.0 does come pretty close. But the Mazda 2.5 Liter and everything else is just far behind.

The Honda engine is always smooth, and super quiet. Only when pushed, you hear a nice muted sporty growl. (A perfect match for the sporty side of the car)

The steering has a great feel. It is quite sporty in nature but never artificial and always very fluid.
It actually feels like a more expensive car.
I was expecting something like this when I test drove a few BMWs last year. But these cars now have a luxury car steering feel without much personality at all. The Accord has a much nicer feel.
It also firms up nicely in the “Sport” mode. (That sport mode is great and rather addictive )

Power comes pretty instantly with zero turbo lag.
The sports mode is, for once, a real “sport mode”. The car becomes more responsive and does feel quicker. (On top of the firmer steering feel) While there seems to be no penalty in ride comfort.

The “Eco” mode is actually drivable all day long. The engine has so much power available that even the Eco mode has plenty. (You will save about 2 to 3 MPG on average. )

The ride is super solid and very smooth. It is a bit firmer than the Regal. But more comfortable than the Mazda 6.
The Accord always feels solid as a rock and well planted on the road, no matter what the surface.

The 10 speed automatic is quite a marvel. As it always seems to be in the right gear. And willing to downshift and the slightest request.

The 2.0 Liter 10 speed combo is rated at 22/32MPG.
I got up to 26 in the city. (Mostly around 23/24). And had no problem getting slightly over 40MPG on the freeway.
These are really good numbers for such a powerful car. Better than the similar 2.0 Liter in the Regal. And about the same as the much less powerful Mazda6.

The new Honda Accord is plain and simply a wonderful car. It is a car that, for a week, I couldn’t wait to drive. And I enjoyed every minute of it.

It has the soul of a sporty, luxurious coupe in the body of a super roomy sedan.

It is always comfortable yet fun and engaging to drive.

One of the most refined car in its class, and above. As it has a more solid feel, and engaging attitude than a BMW 3 or 4 series. (Or even the 5 series)

Doors and truck close with an amazingly solid thump.

It has more room than about anything else in its class.

The interior is a delightful place to be. With tons of small touches that show a willingness to put out a great product. You feel at home the second you get in.

Like someone actually though of you when they were making this car….

In my week of driving, I could only find one small thing to criticize.

While the Touring model comes with wonderful cooling seats, the cooling fans are a little noisy.

A bit more so than in other cars I have driven with that feature.

(But that disappears as soon as you play something on the radio)

The 2.0 Touring is just a great car.

Sure, at almost $37 000, it’s not cheap. But when you think of it, it is only about $1500 more than the loaded Mazda6 I was driving a few weeks ago.

The Accord is much more powerful and refined. (And roomier too)

A closer match to the Mazda would be the Accord touring with the 1.5 Liter engine. For about the same price. With the Accord, you are still getting the roomier and more refined car.

(You can also get a very well equipped EX model for just around $27 000)

On top of all this, Honda has been producing some of the most reliable cars ever for decades. Which is a huge advantage over almost everyone else.

While Toyota just redesigned another Camry, Honda has tried to re-invent the sedan.

Now with a younger, coupe like personality. Not trying to be an SUV at all.

I really think they have succeeded . This is a great car that should be on everyone’s shopping list.

Click on the picture above to see all the pricing details of the car I was driving for a week.

(Except mine was actually blue with a grey interior)